


Take Root In My Heart

by mseg_21



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Florist Jesper, M/M, Tattoo Artist Wylan, Wesper fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:00:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23851945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mseg_21/pseuds/mseg_21
Summary: "Inej said you're new here."Wylan nodded. "I just started today.""Did you ink someone yet?""No, not yet. I thought you'd be my first." His tone was innocent and Jesper just couldn't resist."Oh I'd love to be your first," He said with a smirk causing Wylan to grow noticeably more flustered. "But I'm not a fan of tattoos.""That's too bad." Wylan muttered, biting the inside of his cheek.Too bad indeed, Jesper thought. He would like nothing more than have Wylan's delicate fingers working on him for hours.OrJesper runs the flower shop across the street from The Red Crow Tattoo Parlor where Wylan starts working. It soon becomes a competition to see who visits the other more when they both start crushing on each other.
Relationships: Jesper Fahey & Wylan Van Eck, Jesper Fahey/Wylan Van Eck
Comments: 29
Kudos: 124





	1. Jesper

Jesper was picking up a few roses from one of the displays so he could finish an arrangement when a flicker of movement caught his eye through the window. He looked up and saw that the door to the tattoo parlor across the street⎯ The Red Crow, was open.

Kaz, the owner, walked out with his cane dangling by his side. A guy Jesper had never seen before followed him, struggling to carry two heavy looking boxes. 

Jesper couldn't see much of him, with his face being covered by one of the boxes, but then he put them in the open trunk of Kaz's car and Jesper let out a gasp. 

He was easily the cutest guy he had ever seen. With ruddy gold curls, pale skin and⎯ were those freckles dusted across his cheeks and nose? 

He was wearing a white, pristine shirt and beige pants rolled up at the ankles. Standing next to Kaz in his all black attire, in front of the red and black shop, he looked completely out of place. It made Jesper think⎯ who was he and what was he doing there? 

Jesper had known Kaz since he opened The Red Crow a year after Jesper took over his father's flower shop. He knew all the people who worked there and this guy was _not_ one of them. Jesper definitely would have noticed a face like that one. 

"Fahey, is the delivery ready?"

Matthias' voice surprised Jesper and he jumped, pricking his finger on a thorn.

"Damn it Helvar you big oaf, don't sneak up on me like that." He said, sticking the thumb in his mouth and tasting blood. He glared at Matthias, who crossed his arms over his broad chest, completely unfazed. 

"It's not my fault you didn't hear me come in because you were⎯" He paused, peeking through the window with narrowed eyes. " _What_ were you doing?" 

Jesper looked back outside but Kaz and the other guy were gone, probably back inside the shop. 

He sighed. "Nothing. I just needed a few roses for the arrangement."

Matthias raised an eyebrow at him, but if he didn't believe Jesper then at least he didn't say anything about it. He was glad that it wasn't Nina who caught him staring at the cute guy or Jesper would've never heard the end of it.

"So the delivery it's _not_ ready?" Matthias grumbled, lips pursed. He helped Jesper out by delivering large orders and a few special arrangements and he would complain every time Jesper didn't have the flowers ready by the time he arrived to pick them up. But Jesper knew that Matthias didn't mind much waiting around while he finished them. 

Especially if Nina was there. 

"I'll have it done in a second." Jesper told him. He picked up three yellow roses and, after one final look at the tattoo parlor, he headed back to the counter with Matthias right behind him.

Nina was sitting behind the counter, eating a donut while looking through a magazine. Today had been a slow day at the shop and when she'd started to get bored, she had snuck out to the bakery next door for a sweet. 

"Nina, look who is here!" 

Nina was Jesper's best friend and she worked with him at the flower shop. She had started out by picking up shifts here and there, helping Jesper during special holidays like Valentine's or Mother's day, when it got too busy for him to handle on his own.

Now, she was at the shop almost the entire time Jesper was there. She was great with the customers⎯ often getting the men to buy an extra bouquet by flipping her hair or convincing the women that a larger arrangement would go better with the design of their house by flashing them a charming smile. But not only was she great for business, Jesper liked having her around.

She looked up at them and her eyes instantly lit up. "Matthias!" Her face split into a grin. "How is my favorite delivery man?"

"Hello Nina. I'm good, how are you today?" Matthias said in a serious tone, but Jesper noticed the way his breath hitched when Nina licked her sugary fingers. 

"Splendid now that you're here." She said, leaning on the counter and batting her eyelashes. Matthias' cheeks turned slightly pink. 

Jesper rolled his eyes, adding the roses to the arrangement and laying them out in a triangle in the middle. Nina had been shamelessly flirting with Matthias since he started working for him. It was obvious that he was interested in her⎯ only around Nina did his stoic and angry exterior crack and he would blush and smile and stutter like a boy with a crush. But no matter how much Nina batted her eyelashes or swung her hips, Matthias was yet to ask her out. Jesper had asked her why she didn't do it herself, but she simply brushed him off and told him that she didn't mind waiting, she enjoyed teasing him way too much.

He tuned them out as he worked on the arrangement, which was second nature to him at this point. When he was a kid he would help his father with them, picking the brightest flowers for him to add and eventually arranging them himself when he grew too restless to simply watch him work. When his Da retired to go live with his mother back at their farm and Jesper took over, he discovered that he liked this job⎯ he liked that it kept his hands busy while letting his mind wander. 

His thoughts drifted to the cute guy he had seen earlier. There was a chance that he didn't even work at the Red Crow and that he had simply been walking by and offered to help Kaz. Or maybe he was a client, though he didn't seem like the kind of guy who would get a tattoo. But didn't people say the same about Jesper? Everyone always told him that he didn't look like the type of guy who would own a flower shop. Just because the cute guy dressed nicely and didn't have any visible tattoos it didn't mean he couldn't be the one making them. 

He figured he could just visit the shop to find out. He had been to the parlor several times over the years. Back when it opened Jesper brought them a simple yet lovely arrangement as a gift, which Kaz had looked at with narrowed eyes while Inej accepted it with a small smile. After that, he would drop by occasionally, when he needed to ask Specht to move his motorcycle from Matthias' parking spot or when he locked himself out of the shop and he needed a phone to call Nina and ask her to bring the spare key. Sometimes he would drop by to say hi to Inej and catch up with her, but still he didn't feel like he could just show up and start asking about him without it being weird, so he tried to come up with a reasonable excuse while he gave the final touches to the arrangement. 

Then he remembered that Inej had let him borrow some money last week when he'd needed to pay one of his providers only to realize he didn't have enough cash. He could use the excuse that he was there to pay her back to see if the cute guy was around. He didn't even know if Inej was working today, but it was worth a shot. 

He didn't know he was smiling down at the flowers at the prospect of seeing him again until Nina snapped her fingers in his face. 

"We get it, you're a flower genius. Stop gawking at your work." She said with a teasing smile. 

"What can I say? These fingers are magical." Jesper said, wiggling them. Nina threw her head back and laughed. 

"Is it ready?" Matthias cut in and Jesper couldn't resist rolling his eyes.

"Yes Matthias, the wait is over. Take it and go." He said, sliding the bouquet towards him. He saw that Nina was pouting and it gave him an idea. "Actually, why don't you take Nina too? You look like you'd enjoy the company." He winked and Matthias glared, though there was a pink flush in his cheeks.

Nina grinned. "I know I would, but I'm working."

"No, you're eating donuts." Jesper pointed out and she shrugged. "But it's been a very slow day, I think I'm gonna close a little early. So you're free to go."

She hesitated, looking like she wanted to question Jesper's decision but then Matthias said, "I wouldn't mind the company," and she seemed to realize there was nothing to argue about.

He waited until Matthias drove away to start closing, then he grabbed some cash, changed the sign on the door to _CLOSED_ and crossed the street.

From the outside, The Red Crow didn't look like much. The windows were tinted, making it impossible to peek inside and there was a single sign with the parlor's name written in dark red paint that looked a lot like blood⎯ knowing Kaz, that was probably the goal. 

It looked dark and dank from the outside, but Jesper had been surprised to see that inside it was brightly lit and that the walls were covered in drawings of the tattoos they had made and then some. And it was almost always filled with people⎯ clients and workers alike. Today there were two people getting tattooed and the other two chairs were free. The cute guy was neither giving nor getting a tattoo and Jesper felt a pang of disappointment. At least Inej was there, perched on the front desk and twirling a large needle in her fingers.

"Are you planning on giving someone a stick and poke tattoo with that?" 

She slowly looked up at Jesper and her lips curled into a grin. "Are you here to volunteer?"

Jesper shook his head, pulling out the cash from his bright lime pants. "I'm here to pay you back."

"Even better." She said, jumping down from the desk in one swift movement. "How's the flower shop?"

Jesper gave her the money and shrugged. "Oh you know⎯ flowery." He said and Inej chuckled. "But we were having a slow day so I closed up a little early. I see that's not _your_ case." 

Inej shook her head. "It's like there's something in the air. Everyone wants to get a tattoo." 

Jesper was looking for a way to subtly ask about the cute guy when Inej added, "And since Bolliger got himself fired, Kaz had to bring in a new tattoo artist."

That sparked Jesper's interest. "Oh yeah?"

Inej nodded. "Yeah. Nice guy, he doesn't look like much, but you should see his drawings. They're amazing."

Jesper opened his mouth to ask his name or to ask if he was here right now when the door to the back of the shop opened and the cute guy himself walked through it. When Inej noticed his attention shift, she spun around and waved him over. 

From up close, he was even cuter. There were indeed freckles across his cheeks and nose, which stood out even more due to the slight blush that had appeared on his face when he saw Jesper. He had bright blue eyes and they raked over Jesper's body and face. He gave him a sly grin, which only made the guy's cheeks flush pinker. 

"Jesper, this is Wylan Van Eck." Inej said, gesturing between the two. "Wylan, this is Jesper."

"Hi," Wylan said with a nervous smile. "Are you here to get a tattoo?" 

Jesper gave a hearty laugh, shaking his head. 

"Jesper owns the flower shop across the street." Inej said and he saw the kid's⎯ _Wylan's_ eyes widen in surprise. 

"I can see you're surprised, but it's true." Jesper said. "These toned biceps you see are all from lifting heavy crates of flowers." He winked and Wlan turned a vibrant pink as he tried to keep his eyes from darting to Jesper's arms. He didn't know how many shades of pink and red Wylan's face could turn, but he was having fun trying to find out. "Inej said you're new here."

Wylan nodded. It wasn't until he had mentioned her that Jesper noticed that she had slipped away without either of them noticing. "I just started today."

"Did you ink someone yet?" 

"No, not yet. I thought you'd be my first." His tone was innocent and Jesper just couldn't resist. 

"Oh I'd love to be your first," He said with a smirk causing Wylan to grow noticeably more flustered. "But I'm not a fan of tattoos."

"That's too bad." Wylan muttered, biting the inside of his cheek. 

_Too bad indeed_ , Jesper thought. He would like nothing more than have Wylan's delicate fingers working on him for hours. "What about you? For a tattoo artist, I don't see a lot of ink on you."

"I _have_ tattoos." Wylan scoffed defiantly. He started to unbutton the sleeve of his shirt and Jesper gasped.

"And here I thought I would have to at least buy you dinner before you stripped for me."

Wylan spluttered, staring at Jesper with wide eyes for a second before focusing on rolling the sleeve of his shirt up. On the inside of his wrist there was a tattoo of a sun, outlined in black ink and colored with different shades of yellow. It was pretty and exactly the kind of tattoo Jesper would expect from someone like Wylan Van Eck.

"I like it." Jesper said, reaching out to trace it with his finger. He felt Wylan suppress a small shudder at the touch. "It's cute. Like you." He didn't need to look at his face to know his cheeks had flushed pink, especially when Jesper ran his finger up his forearm distractedly. "You said _tattoos,_ as in more than one." He said playfully.

Wylan surprised Jesper by staring up at him through long eyelashes, cheeks red as the roses he had back at his shop. "I think I'll keep you guessing. For now."

Jesper released a bark of laughter. "Mysterious, I like it." 

In that moment, the door to the back opened again and Kaz walked in. He noticed Jesper and offered him a head nod. 

"Jesper, what did I tell you about your bright and obnoxious dress style?"

Jesper grinned. "That it ruins The Red Crow's aesthetic." 

Inej snorted from her spot on top of the front desk. "I've always thought this place could use more color."

The indignant look Kaz gave her was absolutely hilarious. 

"Van Eck." Kaz said, gesturing him over. "There are a few more things I need to show you." 

Wylan hurriedly buttoned up his sleeve and gave Jesper an apologetic shrug. "I have to go."

"Yeah, of course."

"It was nice to meet you, Jesper."

"You too, Van Sunshine." He said, enjoying the confused crease that appeared between Wylan's eyebrows. "I'll see you around. You can stop by at my shop whenever you want, I'll give you a tour. And maybe then, you can show me the rest of your tattoos." He added with a wink. 

Wylan hurried away, flustered but Jesper hoped that the tiny nod he gave him in return meant that he would take him up on the offer and visit his shop. But just in case that it didn't, Jesper would have to find another excuse to show up at The Red Crow. 

The excuse presented itself only two days later. 

Nina had made a mistake writing down an order and Jesper made six arrangements of red petunias and white camellias instead of the five their client had requested, leaving him with an extra bouquet. He knew he could've just added it to their weekly displays, but instead he told Nina that he was taking a break and carried the bouquet across the street. 

"Hey Jesper, back so soon?" Inej greeted him. She was working today, giving a young woman a hip tattoo. "Did you also bring me money today?"

Jesper chuckled, subtly scanning the shop for a certain blue eyed tattoo artist. "No, but I brought you this." He said, holding up the bouquet for her to see.

"Pretty," said the woman getting the tattoo.

"Thank you."

"I didn't know we ordered any flowers." Inej said, grabbing another vial of ink.

"You didn't, but I made one more by mistake and you were the one who said this place could use the color."

"You know Kaz won't like them."

Jesper flashed her a grin. "That is even more of an incentive to leave them here."

Inej rolled her eyes, lips twitching and pointed at the desk. "You can leave them over there."

He put the arrangement down, tinkering with the petals while he looked for a way to ask for Wylan.

"He's on his lunch break." Inej said after a moment, before he could figure out what to say.

"What?"

"Wylan is on his lunch break, but he should be back soon." 

"I wasn't⎯" Jesper started but the look Inej gave him was enough to cut him off.

Then the front door opened and Wylan walked in, carrying a sketchbook and with a bag slung over his shoulder. Today he was wearing a short sleeved light blue shirt and Jesper caught a peek of another tattoo on his bicep when Wylan reached up to run a hand through his curls.

"Van Sunshine." Jesper said with a smile. Wylan's head snapped up in surprise and he offered him a small wave.

"Hi, Jesper."

"How is your new job treating you?" 

"It's good, I like it here. I did my first tattoo yesterday and then two more today." Wylan said, then he opened his sketchbook, passing the pages until he found what he was looking for. "This is the last one I did." He showed Jesper an elaborated drawing of a lion's head. 

"Woah, that's one complicated tattoo." 

Wylan nodded with a pleased smile. "I had to work on the guy for almost three hours." 

"Lucky him." Jesper said with a wink and then Wylan was blushing that adorable shade of pink. 

"So what are you doing here?" 

"Oh, I was here to drop these off," He pointed over his shoulder at the flowers. "I thought they could brighten up the place." 

Wylan walked past Jesper to stare at the flowers up close. "You made this?" His voice was full of awe and it made Jesper feel bashful as he nodded. "It's beautiful. You're very good." 

"I would hope so, I have a lot of years of practice." Jesper said with a shrug. "You're very good too, with your art." He told Wylan, pointing at the sketchbook. 

Wylan grinned. "I also have years of practice." He echoed and Jesper chuckled. "My flower drawings could use some improvement though. I never seem to get them quite right." He touched the petals delicately.

"Well, if you're ever looking for inspiration," Jesper said, "My shop is literally across the street and full of flowers for you to draw." 

Wylan smiled. "I'll keep that in mind." 

Two more days went by and Wylan still hadn't visited Jesper's shop so when a delivery man brought a box of ink vials to the flower shop by accident, Jesper signed the order and accepted the delivery just so he could drop it off at the tattoo parlor himself and see Wylan.

The kid was just finishing up a tattoo when Jesper walked in. Inej was nowhere to be seen and Specht and Anika were so focused on their own jobs that they didn't even look up. 

"I'll be with you in a second." Wylan said, handing a mirror to the guy in the chair. Then he looked up and saw that it was Jesper who was standing there. His face broke into a delighted grin and Jesper's heart skipped in his chest. "Oh hey Jes, what are you doing here?"

He held up the box. "Just bringing this over."

"Give me a second." Wylan said, turning back to the guy in the chair and wrapping up the tattoo while giving him some after care instructions. 

Jesper knew he didn't have to wait for Wylan to finish. He could just leave the box there and head back to his shop⎯ but that would defeat the purpose of bringing it here himself, which was speaking to Wylan. 

So he patiently waited while the guy paid and thanked Wylan before leaving. 

"So, what do you have there? More flowers?"

Jesper shook his head. "I believe it's ink. They delivered it at my shop by accident."

"Oh," Wylan said, accepting the box. "Thank you. Sorry you had to bring it over."

"It's okay, it's not far or anything." Jesper shrugged. He leaned on the front desk, bringing his face closer to Wylan's. "Which makes me wonder why you still haven't come to visit me."

Wylan became flustered at how close their faces were like this, but he didn't pull back. "I haven't had the time."

"No, I get it." Jesper said, leaning even more on his elbows. "It's just⎯ that's two times I've invited you to my shop and you didn't show. A guy can take a hint." He added a slight pout for effect. 

Wylan shook his head, curls bouncing around his face. "It's not like that."

"No?"

"No, I'll visit your shop. I promise." Wylan assured him. 

"Alright." Jesper said, pushing away from the desk. "I'll be waiting, sunshine." 

Wylan blushed furiously at the name, but he nodded. Jesper really hoped Wylan meant to keep his promise⎯ he doubted he could come up with many more reasons to visit The Red Crow if he didn't. 


	2. Wylan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wylan heard movement coming from the back, followed by Jesper's voice. 
> 
> "Who is it? Is it Mrs. Van Houden? If it's her, please tell her I'm on a break or something. I'm really not in the mood to be groped⎯" Jesper paused when he saw Wylan awkwardly standing there. "Today." He finished. His expression changed, face breaking into a beaming smile. "Van Sunshine!" 
> 
> "Still not in the mood for some groping?" Nina muttered, failing to hide her smirk behind her hand.
> 
> Jesper sent her a sharp look, before turning his attention back at Wylan. "I wasn't sure you'd come."
> 
> "I did promise." Wylan said, he could feel Nina staring between the two of them with an amused smile. He didn't know what to make of that. "And um⎯ I think I was promised a tour."

Wylan was really glad that The Red Crow had tinted windows.

Kaz probably had his reasons to not want people peeking inside his parlor and, having met Kaz, Wylan wasn’t sure he wanted to know what they were. Whatever the reason⎯ being able to look outside without the people walking by seeing _him_ was very convenient, considering the amount of time he spent staring across the street. 

Specifically, at Fahey's Flower Gamble.

Wylan couldn't help himself, it was a really nice view. One that was constantly changing. Jesper had the habit of switching around the arrangements and the flower displays every other day, so it was always different. Wylan had at least half a dozen _different_ drawings of the cute little shop in his sketchbook, which he made during his breaks or in between appointments. 

It was painted with a wide variety of bright colors⎯ red, blue, green, yellow, purple, orange. All those colors together should've been too much, but Wylan thought it was beautiful and charming. 

The same could be said about Jesper. 

The first time Wylan saw him he couldn't help but think that Jesper was a lot⎯ with his bright lime pants and his yellow shirt and his disarmingly charming grin. And that was before he opened his mouth and Wylan realized that everything he said made him blush. He was too much. And yet, Wylan couldn't get enough.

He kept stealing glances at the shop throughout the day hoping to get a look at Jesper. Luckily for him, Jesper didn't seem able to sit still and he was always moving around the shop **⎯** rearranging bouquets, trimming leaves, watering plants, helping customers choose what to buy. 

On one particularly memorable occasion, Wylan looked up just in time to see Jesper pick up a large crate of flowers, the muscles in his arms flexing from the effort in a way that made Wylan’s heart rate pick up, heat rising to his cheeks. A couple of minutes later Jesper came out of the shop again to talk to the delivery guy and, without giving Wylan's face the chance to go back to its usual pale color, wiped the sweat from his face using the front of his shirt, exposing the taut dark skin of his chest and abdomen. 

Wylan had to force himself to look away, feeling his face turn bright red. He hoped no one at the tattoo parlor was paying attention to him and was completely mortified when he noticed Inej staring at him with a little smile. He instantly ducked his head, turning his attention back to his sketches, hoping that Inej would just let it slip, but then, “It looks like Jesper could use some help, don’t you think?”

Wylan looked up to find her standing next to him. He hadn’t even noticed her walking over. “What?” He asked dumbly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She rolled her eyes good naturedly. “You should go over there and give him a hand.”

He spluttered, her tone made Wylan think that she didn’t just mean give him a hand with the flower crates. “I’m⎯ I don’t think I would be of much help.” 

Inej shrugged, her knowing smile making Wylan nervous. “You should go there anyway.” She said, slipping away. 

And Wylan⎯ he wanted to. He wanted to visit the flower shop. He wanted to see if it was just as colorful and bright inside as it was outside and he wanted to find out if it smelled just as sweet as he imagined. Jesper had already invited him over twice, but he was a little nervous that he would make a fool of himself if he saw Jesper⎯ charming, beautiful Jesper surrounded by pretty flowers up close. He had already embarrassed himself when they first met, unable to fight off a blush when he saw Jesper doing nothing but _stand_ there. 

At first, he thought that Jesper asking him to come over was also part of his teasing and as much as he wanted to see Jesper again, he couldn't bring himself to go to the flower shop. Then two days later Jesper was there when he came back from his lunch break and he had invited Wylan over one more time and he figured it was okay to take him up on the offer. 

But then the two following days had been chaos at the tattoo parlor and Wylan barely even had time to take short breaks in between appointments. He hadn't lied when he told Jesper he hadn't had the chance to visit. And he hadn't lied when he promised he would do it soon. 

And that was how Wylan found himself pushing the door to Fahey's Flower Gamble during his break the next day.

As soon as the little bell chimed above him, he was hit with the sweet and delicate smell of flowers. 

"Welcome to Fahey's Flower Gamble!" Someone said in a cheerful tone. "Can I help you?" 

Wylan looked away from the large selection of flowers to the smiling girl behind the counter. She was beautiful, her brown hair long and curly and her eyes a pretty green. Wylan had also seen her around the shop, just not as often as Jesper. He had no idea who she was and he'd wanted to ask Inej about her, but he didn't want to explain to her why he cared in the first place.

"Um hi, I'm Wylan. I work at the tattoo parlor." 

The girl's face lit up and her smile widened. "Oh, right! I'm Nina, I work here. _Obviously_. Are you looking for Jesper?" 

Wylan nodded. "He uh⎯ he told me I should stop by." 

"Of course he did." She smirked, then louder she added, "Jesper, sweetie! There's someone here to see you."

Wylan's face pulled into a frown at the pet name. He really wished he'd asked Inej who Nina was after all. Now Wylan couldn't help but wonder if she was Jesper's girlfriend or something.

The thought sent a pang of disappointment through him and he considered telling Nina that he had to get back to The Red Crow and leave before Jesper could see him. But then he heard movement coming from the back, followed by Jesper's voice. 

"Who is it? Is it Mrs. Van Houden? If it's her, please tell her I'm on a break or something. I'm really not in the mood to be groped⎯" Jesper paused when he saw Wylan awkwardly standing there. "Today." He finished. His expression changed, face breaking into a beaming smile. "Van Sunshine!"

"Still not in the mood for some groping?" Nina muttered, failing to hide her smirk behind her hand. 

Jesper sent her a sharp look, before turning his attention back at Wylan. "I wasn't sure you'd come."

"I did promise." Wylan said, he could feel Nina staring between the two of them with an amused smile. He didn't know what to make of that. "And um⎯ I think I was promised a tour."

Before Jesper could answer Nina was walking around the counter. "I'm gonna take a break now and head over to the bakery." She said, the smirk never leaving her face. "It was nice to meet you, Wylan." 

"Yeah you too, Nina." 

Jesper stared at her over Wylan's shoulder and he couldn't help but feel like they were having a silent conversation with him right in the middle. But then the bell chimed as Nina left the shop and Jesper was back to grinning at him. 

"Alright, follow me Wy." He said, walking towards the backroom. Wylan rounded the counter and came to stand by him. There were three large fridges with flowers inside and next to them a table with different crates and vases for the arrangements, as well as floral shears, wire and tape. There were stems and petals scattered on the table and the floor, probably left there after Jesper finished putting together a bouquet. "This is where we keep our stock." He said pointing to the fridges. "And this is where I usually make the arrangements." 

Wylan walked over to the table. "You said you've been doing this for years."

"Since I was a kid actually." Jesper said, picking up a loose petal and playing with it. "My Da opened this shop when I was seven, maybe eight. We left the farm and moved here, I've been helping him since."

Wylan whirled around to face him, eyes widening. "Wait, _you_ grew up on a farm?" 

Jesper gave an offended snort. "I may be lean, but I could throw you over my shoulder like a bale of hay Van Eck." 

Wylan's brain stuttered at the image of Jesper lifting him up like that. He could feel his face flush with color and he desperately grasped for a change of subject. "I didn't⎯ I meant that you look like someone who would go crazy with nothing to do."

"Well, you're right. But you’d be surprised by how much there’s to do in a farm during the day. At night though⎯" Jesper shook his head ruefully. "I came close to playing cards with the cows just to have something to do." 

The thought of Jesper attempting to play a card game with a bunch of cows startled a laugh out of Wylan, he tried to cover it up with his hand. "So do you guys still have the farm?"

"Yup. I actually took over the shop a few years ago so my Da could retire and go live there again." 

Wylan said with a small smile. "You're a good son." 

Jesper shrugged. "It was the least I could do. I put my Da through a lot when I went to college⎯ wasted a lot of his money, disappeared for a few weeks. I felt like I owed it to him." He ducked his head and Wylan could tell he was embarrassed, but when he looked up his easy smile was back. "Besides it's not so bad⎯ I like the job, it keeps me busy and I like flowers. They're pretty. I've always had an eye for pretty things." He finished with a wink. 

Blushing, Wylan bit the inside of his cheek. "You also have your girlfriend to keep you company." He said as casually as he could. 

Jesper's fingers stilled, dropping the petal he was fiddling with. His face pulled into a frown. "My girlfriend?"

Wylan nodded, wishing he’d kept his mouth shut and spared himself the embarrassment. "Yeah, Nina. _Your_ _girlfriend_."

Jesper released a surprised bark of laughter. "What? You thought⎯ Wylan no."

"So you guys are _not_ together?" 

He shook his head and Wylan felt his mouth drop in a silent gasp. Jesper sighed, “Saints you're cute." He said, grinning at him. "Nina is my friend⎯ and a pain in my ass most of the time. But she is _not_ my girlfriend."

Wylan felt slightly relieved. But just because Nina wasn't Jesper's girlfriend it didn't mean he didn't have one. "What about Mrs. Van Houden?" 

Jesper laughed again. Wylan realized he really liked how his entire face lit up when he did. "Saints Wylan no, that lady is old enough to be my mother." He said and Wylan giggled. "I don't _have_ a girlfriend." Jesper continued, his words carrying a weight that made Wylan's stomach flutter. 

"Oh." 

"And I don't have a boyfriend either." Jesper added, studying Wylan's face closely for his reaction. 

He tried not to give him one, but he knew that his eyes were probably shining with hope. "Oh." He said again, cheeks warm. "I⎯ yeah me neither."

“Good to know.” Jesper smirked, before pointing over his shoulder. "Let's continue with the tour, yeah?"

Wylan nodded and followed Jesper to the front of the shop. He showed him the counter and the cash register then guided him through the shelves, pointing at the different flowers and naming them. He listened attentively, Jesper got very excited when he talked about flowers and even more so when he told Wylan stories about his father and the years they worked together.

"What about your family?" Jesper asked him while showing him the weekly displays. He missed the way his entire body tensed up. "Are they tattoo artists too?" 

Wylan snorted loudly. "Not my dad. He’s actually a businessman⎯ commerce and stuff."

Jesper raised his eyebrows as if saying _really?_ "And what did he have to say about his son becoming a tattoo artist?" 

"He doesn't know." Wylan picked up a small sunflower that had fallen to the floor, focusing on it while he talked. "We don't talk anymore. He cut me off a couple of years ago after my mother died. I had to leave the house, fend for myself. I've liked drawing and sketching since I was a kid, so I used what little money I had to learn how to make tattoos. I actually gave this one to myself, for my mother." He held out his wrist with the sun tattoo that he’d already shown Jesper. " _She_ was the artist, always painting or playing music, she was the one who taught me. She used to call me her sunshine and I wanted my first tattoo to be special, to have a meaning." His lips twitched into a small smile. "It also doesn't hurt that my father would've hated it." 

"Such a cute little rebel. Who would have thought?" Jesper chuckled softly, causing Wylan to finally look up at him. His expression was open and gentle, though he could see a little crease between his eyebrows. "I'm sorry your mother died. And that your father did that to you. You didn't deserve it."

"Thank you, I still miss my mother but it's better now." He said, surprising himself by how true it was. This was the first time he thought about his mother and about what his father did without feeling like crying. Still, he couldn't help but feel like it was a lot to drop on someone only the fourth time they talked. He was going to apologize for it, but Jesper reached for his hand and the words died in his throat. 

"I'm sure she’d be proud of you." He said, picking the sunflower from between Wylan’s fingers and gently tucking it behind his ear. His own fingers grazed Wylan's cheek and he stood there, frozen, the light touch bringing a flush to his cheeks.

Their eyes met and Wylan realized just how close their faces were, if he went up on his tiptoes he could easily kiss Jesper and if the way Jesper’s eyes kept darting to Wylan’s lips was any indication, he wouldn’t mind it if he did⎯ but then the door to the shop opened, carrying in the sound of a group of women talking amongst themselves as they walked in and Wylan took a step back. 

He didn't miss the flash of disappointment that went through Jesper's face, right before he put on a charming smile and turned towards the door. "Welcome ladies, I'll be with you in a minute."

"I should head back, I have an afternoon appointment." Wylan said, only now realizing that his break was nearly over. He had been too distracted by Jesper to notice. "Thank you⎯ for the tour."

Jesper winked. "It was my pleasure. Feel free to come back anytime Wy."

"I will." Wylan said and he found that he meant it. He understood now why Jesper enjoyed being surrounded by flowers, it was warm and relaxing and having Jesper there with him made it even better.

He quickly walked the short distance to The Red Crow but when he arrived his afternoon appointment wasn't there yet, so he sat down in his station to work on some sketches in the meantime.

"Were you in Jesper's shop?" 

He jumped when he heard Inej speak. He looked up to see that she had snuck up on him and was perched up on his tattoo chair. Wylan narrowed his eyes at her, "How did you know? Did you follow me?" 

Inej chuckled and she reached for Wylan's curls, when she pulled her hand back she was holding a small sunflower. "No need, this kind of gave you away."

Wylan's eyes widened, blushing under her knowing stare. He grabbed the flower from her and quickly stuck it between the pages of his sketchbook. 

"I just⎯ I needed a flower for one of my sketches."

Inej quirked an eyebrow at him but said nothing, simply standing up and waltzing away. Wylan suspected she didn't believe him. 

When he was alone again, he opened his book and started a new sketch. Even if he had lied to Inej about it, he found himself drawing the small sunflower. 

And if Wylan pictured how it would look tattooed on Jesper's skin while he worked on it⎯ he hoped that one was able to tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me during this chapter: *struggles to find new ways to describe Wylan blushing*  
> Seriously how did Leigh Bardugo do it?


	3. Jesper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Oh, I know that look." Nina said, and only then did Jesper notice that he was simply standing there, holding the peonies and smiling stupidly at the open fridge at the thought of Wylan liking him. "Someone has a crush on the tattoo boy." She teased, her tone filled with amusement. 
> 
> "Shut it, Zenik." Jesper said, finally closing the fridge door and heading to the front with Nina on his heels. "I don't tease you about your crush on the delivery boy." 
> 
> "So you admit it?" She asked. Jesper could only shrug, making himself busy by restacking the peonies and hoping that she wouldn't be able to see his flushed cheeks if he kept his back to her. "Did you ask him out?" He shook his head. "Why not?" She groaned, throwing herself against one of the flower displays. 
> 
> Jesper shrugged again. "I don't know, I was too busy trying not to push him against the shelves to make out with him."
> 
> Nina snorted. "Are you so sure that Wylan would mind?"

"Fahey I'm coming in and I hope you and Wylan are decent." Nina called, voice followed by the soft chime of the bell above the door. Jesper heard both from the back of the shop, where he was cleaning up his flower assembly table. 

"I'm never decent." He snorted, collecting a few stray petals and stems. 

Nina poked her head through the back door, her eyes scanning the room. "Where's Wylan?" 

"He had to go back to The Red Crow. He actually values his job." 

"You know I value my job." Nina said, then she shrugged. "I just value my sugar intake a bit more." 

Jesper chuckled. He grabbed some peonies from their stock to replace the ones that he’d just sold to the women that interrupted him and Wylan. 

For a moment there, Jesper was sure they were actually going to kiss, and he had wanted nothing more. He really liked Wylan, even if they had talked only a handful of times. He wasn’t just cute or fun to tease, he was talented and strong and brave and so freaking adorable. He had listened to Jesper go on and on about his father and his flowers, never losing interest, like he actually enjoyed listening to him talk. Jesper really wanted to believe it was because Wylan liked him too. 

"Oh, I know that look." Nina said, and only then did Jesper notice that he was simply standing there, holding the peonies and smiling stupidly at the open fridge at the thought of Wylan liking him. "Someone has a crush on the tattoo boy." She teased, her tone filled with amusement. 

"Shut it, Zenik." Jesper said, finally closing the fridge door and heading to the front with Nina on his heels. "I don't tease you about _your_ crush on the delivery boy." 

"So you admit it?" She asked. Jesper could only shrug, making himself busy by restacking the peonies and hoping that she wouldn't be able to see his flushed cheeks if he kept his back to her. "Did you ask him out?" He shook his head. "Why not?" She groaned, throwing herself against one of the flower displays. 

Jesper shrugged again. "I don't know, I was too busy trying not to push him against the shelves to make out with him."

Nina snorted. "Are you so sure that Wylan would mind?" Jesper didn't think he would. Not only did Wylan seem equally disappointed when they didn’t get to kiss before, Jesper had also noticed the way his eyes kept darting to his lips when he talked, a blush creeping over his cheeks every time. "I'm sure you'll get the chance to ask him, don't worry. I have a feeling he will drop by again soon enough."

Nina turned out to be right. 

The next day, Jesper was sweeping the floor when Wylan walked in. 

"Two days in a row?" He greeted him with a huge grin. "Keep it up and you’ll become our customer of the month."

Wylan wrinkled his nose. "I'm pretty sure I’d have to buy something first for that."

Jesper shook his head, leaning his weight on the broom. "Well, I own the shop and I say that cute guys don't have to do that." He looked him up and down, he was wearing a blue scarf that brought out the color of his eyes in a way that made Jesper’s heart beat a little faster. "So, what brings you here today? I'm afraid there's nothing left for me to show you⎯ unless you want to see the alley out back. I hear it's a perfect make out spot."

Wylan’s eyes darted to the back door and he seemed to consider it for a second. But then he was shaking his head, the usual blush appearing on his cheeks, and reaching inside his bag. "I brought you something." 

Jesper's eyebrows shot up. "Yeah?"

Wylan pulled out a folded piece of paper, giving it to Jesper. When he opened it he saw it was a drawing of a sunflower, in bright, beautiful colors. "Woah," Jesper breathed, tracing the lines with his fingers. 

"It’s from the flower you gave me yesterday.” Wylan explained. Then his face pulled into a tiny frown. “Which I probably should have paid for, now that I think about it.”

Jesper shook his head, still staring at the drawing. “First flower is on the house.”

“That's a weird policy." He said with a snort. “So, um⎯ do you like it? I don’t like my flower sketches that much, but I figured it was good practice.”

"You don't need practice Wy, this is beautiful." Jesper said, earning a pleased little smile from the other boy. 

"Seriously, whoever gets a tattoo done by you is very lucky." He continued, then with a sly grin he added, "And not just because they get to have your hands on them for hours.” His grin only widened when Wylan grew noticeably more flustered. 

He cleared his throat and tried to change the subject. “Um, have you ever thought about getting one?”

“A tattoo? Not really. I’m not particularly eager to be repeatedly stabbed by tiny needles.” He joked, heading towards the counter. Nina was there on the phone with a funeral home, writing down the details of the dozen flower arrangements they wanted. She looked up to give Wylan a cheery wave before focusing back on the call. 

"The pain is not that bad." Wylan said with a shrug watching Jesper pin his drawing to a cork board behind the counter. "You get used to it, you know."

Jesper rested his arms on the counter, raising an eyebrow at him. “Trying to convince me to get one, sunshine?”

"Maybe.” Wylan shrugged. “Is it working?" He asked, shyly biting on his lip. Jesper’s eyes were instantly drawn to his mouth and he had to force himself to tear his gaze away to make eye contact with him, shaking his head to make the thoughts of kissing Wylan go away. 

“Maybe.” He echoed with a playful grin. “What do you think I should get?”

Wylan’s eyes darted to his drawing, pinned to the board behind Jesper. “A sunflower.”

“Yeah?” Jesper asked, lips curling into a smirk. He pointed over his shoulder, “ _That_ sunflower?” Wylan nodded. Jesper’s smirk got wider and he leaned even closer to him. “Is that why you drew it? Were you imagining you were giving me a tattoo? Where would you put it?” He waggled his eyebrows, and watched as his ears turned red. 

Still, he stammered out, “Your hip bone or your bicep, maybe.”

Jesper clicked his tongue. “That sounds like you’re just trying to get me to take my shirt off for you.” He expected Wylan to furiously deny it, but he simply gave a half shrug. Jesper chuckled in delight. “I’ll tell you what, keep making those pretty flower sketches and I’ll consider it.”

“Yeah?"

Jesper nodded. Then, because he couldn't resist, he added, “And please, feel free to imagine me shirtless while you do it. I don’t mind.”

As expected, Wylan turned bright red. Jesper laughed, he was so easy to rile up. 

They talked some more until Wylan told him he had to leave for work. On his way out, Jesper stopped him near the door and gave him a couple of daffodils. "For your next drawing." 

He watched as Wylan crossed the street, head ducking down to smell the flowers.

Jesper didn't expect Wylan to actually make him another drawing, he just enjoyed seeing the way he smiled when Jesper gave him flowers. He was pleasantly surprised when the following day Wylan stopped by again to give Jesper a pretty sketch of the daffodils. 

It quickly turned into a thing. 

Wylan would stop by the flower shop during his breaks or on his way to the tattoo parlor every other day. They would talk⎯ Jesper would flirt with him and Wylan would blush, and Nina would watch both of them with a knowing look. Then Jesper would pin the sketch behind the counter and choose a flower for Wylan to take with him. At first, he insisted on paying for them but after a couple of tries he gave up, simply accepting the flowers Jesper gave him with a smile. 

After only a few days, Jesper started looking forward to those little visits. If the bell chimed around the time Wylan would normally get there, Jesper's heart would speed up, whether it was actually him or not. Nina loved to tease him mercilessly about the disappointed frown that appeared on his face when it turned out to be a client instead of him.

After three whole weeks of that, Jesper still hadn’t worked up the courage to ask Wylan out yet⎯ at least not seriously. He joked about it, called Wylan’s daily visits ‘dates’ and threw line after line at him just to get a reaction. But he couldn’t bring himself to _actually_ do it. Even if he noticed the way Wylan’s eyes constantly darted to Jesper’s arms when he was wearing a tank top, or the way Wylan turned pink if he touched him, Jesper still worried about rejection. He liked having Wylan around, and the last thing he wanted was to make him so uncomfortable that he would stop visiting him.

Nina told him he was being stupid, several times. But it did little to change Jesper's mind. 

For now, he was happy just flirting with Wylan every chance he got. And seeing as he kept coming back, Wylan must be okay with it too. 

On one particularly memorable occasion, Jesper got to see another one of Wylan’s tattoos. Other than the sun in his wrist, he had only caught a glimpse of the one on his bicep and he didn’t even know what that one was. Needless to say, Jesper was curious to know what and where they were. That day, he had asked Wylan if any of his mystery tattoos were flowers, since he kept suggesting that was what Jesper should get. When he said no, Jesper had thought he would leave it at that, but then he had added, “I have one of a musical note.”

“Yeah?” Jesper had prompted curiously.

Wylan had hesitated, then with a cute embarrassed blush, he’d said, “I like playing the flute, and singing. I guess music is to me what flowers are to you.”

Jesper had wanted to tease him, but he didn’t want Wylan to think he was making fun of something he liked, especially when he never made fun of Jesper for talking his ear off about flowers. So instead he’d said, “Can I see it? The musical note. If you want to, of course.”

He thought this tattoo was the one he'd caught a glimpse of and he expected Wylan to take off his sweater to show it to him. He was surprised when, instead, Wylan turned around and pulled up the hair at the back of his neck, revealing the small musical note tattooed on the otherwise smooth, pale skin.

Jesper had reached out to touch it, not missing the way Wylan shuddered. "I like it. Tattoos look incredibly cute on you.” Wylan had snorted, but when he’d turned around, his face was a faint shade of pink. 

Jesper didn’t realize how used he was to constantly seeing Wylan until three days went by in which he didn't show up, and Jesper started growing more and more impatient. He would peek out the window every five minutes, hoping to see those golden curls crossing the street, and he was even more distracted and spacey than usual. 

"If you look out that window one more time Jesper, I will slam your head against the glass!" Nina yelled at him from the counter while Jesper pretended to trim the leaves from a display of calla lilies⎯ except they didn't need trimming and it was just an excuse to hang around the windows without scaring potential customers. "If you miss your tattoo boy so much, cross the damn street and tell him."

It was actually a good idea, not that he would admit it to her. He waited until it was time for his break, mostly so Nina wouldn’t think it was okay to drop everything to go visit the bakery, and then he grabbed a single yellow rose and made his way to The Red Crow. 

"Hey Jesper." Inej greeted him. She noticed the flower in his hand and tried to hide a smile. 

"Hi Inej." He replied, his eyes scanning the place. 

"Looking for someone?" 

Jesper's face grew warm. Inej was giving him a knowing look that reminded him a lot of Nina. "I⎯ Is Wylan here?" Inej shook her head. "Is he on his lunch break or⎯"

"No, the poor thing showed up two days ago looking like death and Kaz told him that, and I quote, 'he didn't want a plague outbreak in his business' so he sent him home."

"Oh." Jesper fiddled with the flower in his hand. "Okay well if you talk to him, tell him uh⎯ just tell him I hope he feels better soon." 

He turned around to leave, but Inej called him back. "You know, his apartment is only a couple blocks from here."

Jesper narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you saying?" 

She grabbed a slip of paper from the desk, quickly writing something down before coming to stand in front of him. "I'm saying," she said in a teasing tone, handing the paper to Jesper⎯ there was an address written on it. "That poor Wylan would feel a lot better if he got a visit from his favorite flower boy.” 

"Did he really call me that?" Jesper asked with an amused smile.

"He didn't have to," Inej said with an eye roll, "Just like you don't have to tell me he's your favorite tattoo boy." 

Jesper felt the blush return to his cheeks. He squeezed her arm, "You're still my favorite tattoo _girl_ though.”

Inej let out a surprised laugh, her entire face lighting up. "I better be, Fahey." She said, turning on her heels. "Tell Wylan I said hi."

Jesper spent the following hours impatiently waiting for closing time, eager to visit Wylan. And even if there was enough work at the shop to keep him busy, he felt like every minute dragged on indefinitely. 

He knew he was driving Nina out of her mind, with his constant pacing and staring at the clock, but he couldn't help it. She finally snapped when Jesper decided to clean the counter for the third time in the span of fifteen minutes.

"Saints Jesper, just go!" Nina said, taking the rag from his hand and ushering him towards the door. Jesper was taller than her, but she was strong and could easily push him around. "I'll close the shop today."

"Really?"

"Yes yes, go."

Jesper grinned, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. "I knew I kept you around for a reason."

She rolled her eyes at him, but her lips curled into a smile. 

In her haste to throw him out, Jesper almost forgot the yellow rose he had plucked out for Wylan, but he picked it up at the last moment. He realized that he could have made Wylan a 'get better soon' arrangement, and groaned at how stupid he was for not thinking about it sooner. 

Knowing Nina would close the door in his face if he turned around now, he figured the single yellow rose would have to do. Then he walked in front of a grocery store and thought it wouldn't hurt to get Wylan some supplies to go along with it.

It wasn't until Jesper was making his way up the stairs of his apartment building that he started feeling nervous. He wondered if it had been a good idea to listen to Inej⎯ what if she was wrong and Wylan didn't want to see him? 

He hesitated once he reached the door, he even considered leaving the stuff on the floor, knocking and sprinting down the stairs before Wylan could see him. But then he wouldn’t see Wylan either, and Jesper really wanted to. 

So he forced himself not to run after he knocked, fidgeting where he stood. He heard shuffling footsteps on the other side and then the door was swinging open to reveal Wylan, looking miserable but somehow, still adorable. 

He was a little paler than usual, except for his nose, which was bright red. His hair was a tousled mess, probably from spending the day under the covers.

When his bleary eyes focused on Jesper, they widened comically. "Jes, what⎯" A tiny crease appeared between his eyebrows and he muttered to himself, "Is this some kind of fever dream?"

Jesper couldn't help but smile in amusement. "You dream about me often, sunshine?” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Dirty dreams?" 

Wylan groaned in embarrassment, dropping his head against the door. "It's definitely you. What are you doing here?"

"Inej told me you were sick. She uh⎯ she gave me your address and I thought I'd check up on you and bring you some supplies." He held up the bag. 

Wylan’s eyes darted from the bag to Jesper's face. "You⎯" He paused to cough a few times. "You didn't have to do that." 

"I wanted to see you." Jesper blurted out. He grimaced at himself. "I mean. I wanted to make sure you were alright. I was a little worried when you didn't show up at the shop."

Wylan cocked his head to the side with a little smile. "So you do this for all your customers?" 

"Only the cutest ones.” He winked at Wylan, who ducked his head to peek inside the bag, and probably to try to hide his blush from Jesper. "I hope you like chicken noodle soup, Ma used to make it for me when I got sick. And the chamomile tea is supposed to bring down fever. I also brought you some cookies and sweets for when you’re feeling better. The honey oatmeal cookies are my favorite. My Ma used to make them for me too. Those are store bought though, so they won’t be as good, but hopefully you’ll like them.” Jesper knew he was rambling, but he had realized as he talked that maybe he went a bit too far. It was a lot of trouble to go through for someone he met so recently. He didn't mind doing all of it for Wylan, if anyone deserved it, it was him. Still, he couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Though if Wylan was smiling like that, then maybe he didn't have to be. "Thank you, it was really sweet of you." He said, playing with the handle of the bag. For some reason, he also looked nervous. "Um, do you want to come in?" He asked, and it was clear to Jesper that was why. 

"Already inviting me into your apartment? How forward of you." He teased, but stepped inside anyway. 

Wylan's apartment was small but cozy⎯ with an open kitchen and an adjoining living room and two doors that Jesper figured led to the bathroom and his bedroom. There was a couch and a coffee table, but not much else. The decoration consisted of several drawings and pictures that hung from the walls. Some of the drawings Jesper recognized as Wylan’s, after spending so much time looking at the sketches he gave him. The pictures all showed Wylan with a woman that Jesper guessed was his mother⎯ she had the same blue eyes and golden curls as him.

“I’m sorry about the mess.” Wylan said, grimacing at a bunch of blankets on the couch. “I didn’t expect any company.”

Jesper shrugged, following him to the small kitchen. “That's okay. How are you feeling?"

“Oh, I feel great. Ready to get back to work.” Wylan said with a fake, perky tone. 

Jesper raised an eyebrow at him. “Really? Because you look like you’re about to keel over from trying to open that box.” He snorted, watching him struggle with the tea package. “Here, let me do it.”

Wylan huffed in protest. “I can do it.” 

Jesper bit back a snort, grabbing him by his shoulders and steering him towards the couch. 

"Sure you can, Wy." He said sarcastically, forcing Wylan to sit down before heading back to the kitchen. The place was small enough that he could still see Wylan perfectly while he worked on boiling up water for the tea. "But I didn't come all the way here to watch you pass out in the kitchen. Inej would kill me if anything happened to you on my watch." 

“She didn’t have to send you here.” 

“She didn’t _send_ me,” He said, opening and closing drawers until he found where Wylan kept the mugs. “She just said that some Jesper time would make you feel better, and I had to agree. Making people feel good is one of my many skills.” Jesper didn't even mean that in a dirty way but Wylan still choked on his spit, color rising to his cheeks. 

“And the flower shop? Did you have to close early to come here?”

“Nope, I left Nina in charge. She was the one who kicked me out, actually.”

“Why?”

“Well,” Jesper hesitated, hanging a hand from his neck. “I was kind of driving her crazy while I waited to leave. I⎯ I just really wanted to see you.” 

Wylan got even redder, but Jesper saw a smile slowly curl along his lips. “To make sure I was okay?”

“Well, yeah. But I also missed you⎯ a little? My flowers aren’t nearly as chatty as you. Or as pretty.” He said, staring down at his hands as he stirred the tea.

"Oh."

“Yeah. That reminds me,” Jesper paused, reaching into the pocket of his jacket for the yellow rose he'd tucked inside. He grabbed the tea with his other hand and walked over to the couch. “I have something else for you. I went over to the Red Crow to give it to you before I knew you were sick. I thought you were just too busy or that maybe you were tired of me and my flowers.”

Wylan shook his head. The motion left him a little dizzy and he blinked up at Jesper a couple of times. “No, of course not. I mean. I like your shop a lot. The flowers and the colors and⎯ all that.”

Jesper grinned. “That’s good to know.” He sat down next to Wylan, probably closer than he should considering he was sick, and gave him both the tea and the flower. 

“I wanted to tell you.” Wylan said, taking a small sip. “That I was sick. But um, well we never⎯ I didn’t have your number or anything, so.” 

Jesper raised an amused eyebrow at him. "Is that your way of asking for my number?"

Wylan shrugged nervously. "I'm just saying. It would come in handy, if I ever need an emergency flower delivery or something."

"Right, of course.” Jesper said, playing along and biting back a laugh. “I guess I can give it to you then. For emergencies, of course."

Wylan hid his smile behind the mug, taking another sip of his tea.

Jesper wanted to ask him out more than ever in that moment. His leg started bouncing with nerves as he thought it over. Wylan had just asked for his number, he wanted to be able to talk to Jesper more than he already did. If there was ever going to be a sign that Wylan was genuinely interested in him, that was it. 

He opened his mouth to finally ask him out on that date, but the moment was ruined when Wylan started coughing violently. Jesper thumped his back until he recovered. “Saints, Wy. Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Wylan said, voice hoarse after that coughing fit. He scrunched up his nose. “I hate being sick and I hate being stuck in here. I just want to get back to work.”

Jesper snorted. “Well, Kaz won’t let you come back to the Red Crow if you’re going to cough up a lung all over your clients.”

“Shut up.” 

“No but seriously. Kaz once kicked me out just because I said I had a headache. A headache!” Jesper said, throwing his hands up. “He said he didn’t want a ‘patient zero’ anywhere near his parlor.”

Wylan’s mouth pulled into an adorable pout. _He is so cute_ , Jesper thought, wishing he could kiss that pout from his face. Kissing Wylan while he was sick was probably a bad idea, but he wanted to do it anyway.

Not sure if he could control himself, Jesper stood up and started pacing around the living room while Wylan finished the tea. Luckily, it didn’t start a coughing fit this time.

“Is this your mother?” Jesper asked, pointing at one of the pictures. Wylan looked to be around six in it and he was clinging to the woman’s leg. He hummed in response. “She was beautiful. You definitely got your looks from her.” He turned around to wink at him. “You both look really happy.”

Wylan smiled. “That was taken at a lake near our house. She loved to spend the day there, painting.”

“It’s a beautiful lake.” 

“Yeah, I haven’t been there in years but I remember I loved it just as much as her.” 

“My Ma also loves being outdoors, though she prefers fields over lakes.”

“Your love for flowers definitely runs in the family.” 

Jesper pointed at a few other pictures, enjoying the way Wylan’s face brightened the more he talked about his mother and what they liked to do together. They talked comfortably for a while until Jesper noticed the way Wylan’s eyelids grew heavy. He should be resting, especially if he wanted to get back to work soon. 

“I should probably let you get some sleep.” He suggested. Wylan looked like he wanted to protest but he was interrupted by a yawn, proving Jesper right. 

“I need to take my medicine first.” Wylan said, trying to get up but Jesper stopped him with a hand on his chest. 

“I’ll get it for you. Where is it?”

“Um, it’s in the bathroom counter, but you don’t have to⎯”

He didn’t give him a chance to finish. "I'm on it, sunshine." 

"Thanks." Wylan said, smiling tiredly. 

Jesper winked and left to go find the medicine. He walked by Wylan’s room on the way to the bathroom and he couldn't help but peek through the open door. He saw a shelf near the wall with music sheets, a music stand over the window, a desk and a chair. He didn't see any books, though there were sketchbooks and sheets of paper scattered around the room. The small space was so entirely Wylan that Jesper felt a sudden wave of affection for him.

He hurried to retrieve the medicine. He had been gone for less than five minutes when he walked back into the living room, but he still found Wylan lying back against the arm of the couch, snoring softly.

Jesper chuckled, shaking his head. He picked up the blanket and covered Wylan with it. Then he couldn’t resist the urge to brush a few stray curls from his forehead where they had gotten sweaty, possibly from the fever. Wylan stirred, eyes opening just a bit. 

"Jes⎯"

"Go back to sleep." He whispered. Hopefully he would think this was one of those fever dreams Jesper was so curious about and wouldn’t wake up. 

"Mmm okay." He muttered and went quiet. 

Jesper left the medicine on the coffee table, within his reach. Then he looked around until he found a post-it and scribbled down his phone number, sticking it on the bottle. 

After one final look at Wylan who looked adorable in his sleep, unsurprisingly, Jesper stepped out of the apartment, locking the door on his way out. 

He was glad Inej had suggested he came over, he was glad he had listened to her. Maybe he hadn’t gotten that date but he had seen Wylan, and that was enough.

A few hours later, when Jesper was getting ready for bed his phone pinged with a message from an unknown number. That alone made his heart skip a beat.

‘Hey it's me.’

And then a second later⎯

‘Wylan, I mean.’ 

Jesper grinned as he typed back a reply. ‘Hey, is this a flower delivery emergency?’ 

‘No, this is me thanking you for taking care of me. And not robbing my apartment while I slept.’

Jesper snorted at his phone. ‘And ruin every chance of you inviting me over again? No way.’

Before the three dots appeared on his screen, he sent another text. ‘By the way you look cute when you sleep.’

The reply was a single smiley face. Jesper didn’t need to see him to know Wylan was probably blushing. 

He thought for a while about what to send next, but by the time he came up with something not along the lines of ‘Get better soon just so I can see you again’ it was late and he figured that Wylan was probably asleep already. 

Jesper climbed into his own bed. He figured he could always text Wylan in the morning. Just to check up on him. Not just so he could find out whether or not he would be at work. _Definitely not_ , he told himself. But as fun as texting Wylan was proving to be, nothing would compare to being able to see him in person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a long chapter after a long wait!  
> A date might be on the horizon for these two, but who will ask who?

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment or come talk to me about wesper or SoC on tumblr [jem-carstairs-is-perfection](http://jem-carstairs-is-perfection.tumblr.com/%22)


End file.
